I am a self-prescribed boring person who loves to talk and dance.If I was a man, I imagine I would take a liking to the Pipe. Mainly because I would rather seat and have "discussions"on politics, History, and Football, rather than be out on the dance floor or buckling on who is most righteous.
I am a contradiction at best.
So welcome to my thoughts on Politics and Society, and media's role in that

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Just the other day I baught the new book of David Beckham. I am so excited about this cause it's Becks. I mean it's Beckham..come on. By just a mere glance at my website <http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=africanqueen78> you will be able to recognize that Manchester United with beckham in it is like my perfect team. He been my favorite playa for a long time. can't remember when I started liking him so much. So then there is the Manchester united fan site, and the many beckham forums that I am involved with. But the funny thing is, beckham is not the best playa out there. I mean, Pele was so much better and right now...I can still count a few playas who are so better that Becks. take Ronaldinho for example, I will wear his jersey proudly because he is really one of the best playas out there. then there is Ronaldi, Ronaldo, Zidane, figo....all these players are good, but the funny thing is, you never really hear or them or have movies about them. "Bend it like Beckham" was a revolutionary film for soccer playas in America, atleast in my opinion. It made beckham an icon, not only in soccer and so many commercials, but in the movie industries. Soccer became a sport that could be talked about in the mainstream media. now back to beckham, you might be really wondering by now where all this is going to. I mean, if Becks is not the best, and he is not really an American, then why the heck do I like him?

Saturday, March 26, 2005

Well, thinking that maybe I have underestimated my knowledge of the pop culture...so I took the quiz given by the "entertainment weekly" magazine and thought I had a good chance of atleast getting maybe half or the questions. Well let's just say, if I was trying to get a job in the media industry, I would need to go from scratch. I got like one question right, out of a hundred. Pathetic huh? yeah I know. Now I know why I watch media, and my primary motivation...entertainment. I mean how else would u explain my lack of knowledge? I watch a movie, and if it makes a big impression on me, i might remember a line or two or maybe watch the movie again and again. For example, if there was a question about the NEWSIES, I can pretty much quote the movie. Too bad there weren't any. So how can I move from just being media illeterate to media literacy, (wait...just movies), maybe I should start applying the things we learn in class like having the double consiousness, emerging myself into some semiotic domain/affinity group and make it my business to know what is going on. also be aware of the diagetic world in these groups...wow too much to do? It will take a while

Well, thinking that maybe I have underestimated my knowledge of the pop culture...so I took the quiz given by the "entertainment weekly" magazine and thought I had a good chance of atleast getting maybe half or the questions. Well let's just say, if I was trying to get a job in the media industry, I would need to go from scratch. I got like one question right, out of a hundred. Pathetic huh? yeah I know. Now I know why I watch media, and my primary motivation...entertainment. I mean how else would u explain my lack of knowledge? I watch a movie, and if it makes a big impression on me, i might remember a line or two or maybe watch the movie again and again. For example, if there was a question about the NEWSIES, I can pretty much quote the movie. Too bad there weren't any. So how can I move from just being media illeterate to media literacy, (wait...just movies), maybe I should start applying the things we learn in class like having the double consiousness, emerging myself into some semiotic domain/affinity group and make it my business to know what is going on. also be aware of the diagetic world in these groups...wow too much to do? It will take a while

Wednesday, March 23, 2005

So I am at work( in the admissions) and I sport US WEEKLY...and off course being nosy I jump to it and start scrolling through the pages. Then the Dean comes in and he is like what are you reading...aand I am like hmmm Us weekly? He makes a comment that goes in the lines of..So you are becoming like us Americans who are obsessed with Holliwood. Then one of my co-workers makes a comment that hasn't left me to this day..she was like.."you know because as American citizens we absuletly need to know that Demi Moore is having Ashton Kutcher's baby, we need to know that Charlie Sheen and Denise Richardson are separating, and that Jen and Brad are separating" I was like WOW...so these people don't have a life and if they do then it's for the public to see and scrutinize. WHy do we admire them so much? are their lives our business? DO we really have to know what is going on with their lives, and if we do why? I mean they become the heroes and everything in movies and stuff, and the public tries to identify with them. Otherwise, why do we have tabloids? who ever is the publisher knows that celebrities are really looked to..so they will try and give the public all the gossip they can. Media has an influence on us, more directly than we would wnat to admit.

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

On the other hand, I can't just be so close-minded not to see that there might another side of this story. These media coglomerates might be good for something after all. Although the growth might be unwelcome at first, conglomeration might bring a new experience to these countries. In class, the issue of economy was braught up. I might have to agree to a certain point that this might boost the poor economy in most of the third world countries. It might bring new opportunities that might be otherwise unavailable to these people. Maybe if this conglomeration takes place, we might actually have some of the Ideals discussed in class. For example, there might be a more awareness of international news coverage. Who knows, good does come from evil and this might not be so different. But again, at what cost? What will have to be lost for all this to take place?

Thursday, March 17, 2005

Conglometion brings one word to mind..dictactorship, only it's not really of people but of the media industry. Let me take that back, the media is influencing how we think so I gues that it could be some kind of terror there. Being and African, can't help but worry about my ol' continent there. If conglometion comes to an upper scale that it is right now, Africa is going to be taken over. The simplist of media which we enjoy so much there will be gone. Infact, there is signs of that already. Go to S. Africa and the media industries in America are taking over slowly. AOL is already being used by the teens who are becoming obsessed with cyber space. Africa needs a chance to be creative, and if these monopoly companies take over, then it will crush many Ashleys (if you know what I mean) There are those Ashleys who are doing well and putting out their ideas in Africa, but if the companies takes over, that little flame is going to be blown away. The American Conglomerates are becoming a monopoly for the world. This is going to cost the people..it will be forcing them to have values that might end up not being so good. No offence to Americanism, but what will be the point if everyone becomes like American. WHere will the individuality play a role? The issues of abortion, homosexuality and all these conflict issues will become an acceptable thing just because the media accepts it. In my opinion. somethings are to stay where they belong.

Monday, March 14, 2005

So its' like 12 and usher's one night concert is on... he is in Puerto Rico and off course any sensible hip-hop lover would sit down and watch it..if only for his moves..sleek. Anyways, I notice that usher's shirt has a cross neatly done on the back of his shirt. ok, call me naive but I was like hmm so he still acknowledges God, however for two minutes, he becomes micheal jackson and the question is which God is he acknowledging. What message is he sending out? cause the next minute he comes out singing " he reminds of a gal" with the dancers almost naked.He sings the songs and pauses enjoying the power he has on the growd. His body moves and the crowd shouts, he pauses and they breathe waiting for what is next. He is technically selling two of his greatest assets; his body and voice. He takes his shirt off enjoying the shouts he gets from ther women.Derives the power from crowd.Then my favorite part, his outfits, especially when he comes out with the Cavaliers jersey, shoes and cap. Then adresses Lebron James. Convergence at best. Wonder how much the Cavs paid for that. Right ther he approves the cavs and off course he likes the cavs everyone likes the cavs. Sometimes we think that we enjoy a certain sport, but in reality, we have been sold that sport without our knowledge. The " I was born in church, here is my cross that artists seel is not very attractive anymore. Sadly, people are buying it.

Friday, March 04, 2005

Spring break yohooo! yeah right, even on the dinner table mass media follows me. Anyhows, I was eating dinner today when I saw the current issue of Parade. Yeah, real fun. But what captured my attention was not so much the title as the pictures that were displayed on the top. Now I could talk about semiotics in this particular cover, but that is not what I want to really go into. Basically the main article is about TV as a media text and how things have really changed. it takes a timeline to what used to be clean tv, and what is now shameless tv. Go figure, the American culture in search of self identity has led them to not being ashamed at their so much media intake. I remember that andrew said once in class that things aren't really getting worse they are just what they are. They are on their steady pace. What used to be a 58 second kiss is now a blown out love scene on TV. I honestly don't know what to think about this. I want to say that our culture is wacked out and call it hell but I don't completely agree with that. I try to understand this media industry but I fail. There are so many semiotic domains inside this semiotic domain that I fail to comprehend.I wonder if there is any possible way we can find our self identity without having to follow the pop culture. I mean reading that sentence, it sounds ridiculous, but in search of identity we have lost our identity. How? we define ourselves by what we see the mass media selling us.